Senate leaders looked ahead Wednesday to plans for a third funding package aimed at economic losses and a possible recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The chamber approved the House-passed Families First Coronavirus Response Act (HR-6201) on a 90-8 vote, sending it to President Donald Trump for signature. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., continued his push for any additional funding legislation to also address pandemic-related infrastructure issues, including broadband capacity and distance learning resources (see 2003170014).
FCC plans to vote in April to allow Wi-Fi to share the 6 GHz band (see 2003050058) are in doubt because of complications from the coronavirus, Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel said during a New America teleconference Tuesday. Most FCC staffers have been telecommuting since last week.
American Tower promotes Tom Bartlett to president-CEO, succeeding Jim Taiclet, becoming president-CEO, Lockheed Martin, effective June 15, replacing Marillyn Hewson, becoming executive chairman; American Tower also advances Rod Smith to executive vice president-chief financial officer and treasurer ... ICANN appoints Mikhail Anisimov, ex-.RU/.РФ, as head-global stakeholder engagement, Eastern Europe and Central Asia ... T-Mobile Executive Vice President David Carey retiring, effective April 30.
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr Monday slammed a since-deleted tweet claiming 5G deployment was causing the coronavirus. The tweet by Keri Hilson, a “designer of audible art,” claimed the virus started in China shortly after 5G launched there last year. “This tweet by someone with 4 [million] followers is straight from the most dangerous depths of tin foil hat land,” Carr said: “COVID-19 is a virus spread by person-to-person contact, not radio waves.”
Colony Capital CEO-elect Marc Ganzi, from Digital Colony, becomes CEO, effective July 1, succeeding Thomas Barrack, continuing as executive chairman; Jacky Wu, ex-Driven Brands, becomes executive vice president-finance March 23, chief financial officer and treasurer July 1, succeeding Mark Hedstrom, continuing as executive vice president-chief operating officer; company nominating various board members, see here ... McDermott Will hires April Weisbruch, ex-Sheppard Mullin, as partner-intellectual property.
Colony Capital CEO-elect Marc Ganzi, from Digital Colony, becomes CEO, effective July 1, succeeding Thomas Barrack, continuing as executive chairman; Jacky Wu, ex-Driven Brands, becomes executive vice president-finance March 23, chief financial officer and treasurer July 1, succeeding Mark Hedstrom, continuing as executive vice president-chief operating officer; company nominating various board members, see here ... McDermott Will hires April Weisbruch, ex-Sheppard Mullin, as partner-intellectual property.
FCC efforts at cutting costs of small-satellite licensing should help reverse the trend of U.S. operators going elsewhere to seek licensing, Alliance of Commercial, Cube Experimental and Small Satellites Director Tony Azzarelli told us Wednesday at Satellite 2020. He and others said on a panel that smallsat regulation is failing to keep up with market changes. Organizers ended the event a day early, on Wednesday and citing COVID-19 (see 2003110036).
The FCC’s proposed 5G Fund should “take into account extreme circumstances present on remote Tribal lands,” Smith Bagley said in meetings with aides to FCC commissioners. Only 14 of its 154 towers on tribal lands are connected to the internet via fiber, the company said, posted Monday in docket 20-32: “Towers served by multiple point-to-point microwave hops cannot deliver throughput and latency performance needed to support high-quality 4G and 5G service offerings.”
New Jersey regulators continue looking at potentially statewide service problems with Verizon and other ILEC networks, said Board of Public Utilities officials in interviews. Asserting state power to protect consumers, the board is fighting lawsuits by cable operator Altice on a prorating rule. The Rate Counsel Division supports public hearings about telecom problems but worries the agency won’t aggressively respond, Director Stefanie Brand told us.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is finalizing a new de minimis exemption from Lacey Act declaration requirements for importers. Under the final rule, importers will not have to submit declarations for products with minimal amounts of plant material, with limitations also set on the total amount of plant material on an entry line. The final rule takes effect April 1.